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This paper deals with the identification of highly similar loads in Smart Grids. The goal is to apply load characterization techniques to define a unique load signature. In this work is used a platform composed of four fluorescent lamps with the same technical data and from the same manufacturer. Fluorescent lamps can be driven individually or together allowing for 16 different operating configurations, this means, from no one lamp turned on to all the lamps turned on. For each configuration, 150 voltage cycles and 150 cycles of total circuit current are collected at a frequency of 25 kHz. Then, two forms of load signatures are tested, one where the signature is composed of 14 characteristics and another one, based on the entropy of Shannon and Renyi, where the signature can have 5, 15, 45 or 85 characteristics. After defining the signature, it is necessary to go through the classification system to find the lowest error rate of the identification system. In this work, five classifiers were tested. The lowest error rate found was 25.63% and is close to the literature when the scenario is composed of different loads, thus proving the efficiency of the presented method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to evaluate the suitability of the Brazilian solid waste policy (BSWP) with global Agenda 21 and the challenges of implementing the BSWP in municipalities. For this, a review of the principles that guided the creation of this policy was performed to demonstrate that international pressures were important in determining its effectiveness. The contradictory relationship between the satisfactory legal framework that established the Brazilian waste management policy and its weakened implementation in the municipalities is also examined . To illustrate the difficulties faced at the local level, a case study involving municipalities that compose the state of Espírito Santowe was undertaken. In this state, the municipalities signed terms of environmental commitment with supervisory agencies who undertook, within a pre-established schedule, to implement a set of actions to shape the proper management of solid waste, adapted to the requirements of national policy and the guidelines of Agenda 21. Finally, the various difficulties in meeting the requirements are discussed. It is necessary and urgent that Brazil finds a way to coordinate the mechanisms of an innovative and well formulated legal instrument to ensure the successful implementation of solid waste management at the local level to achieve the environmental, economic and social objectives [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As municipal landfills are still the prevailing option for solid waste management in Brazil, there is a high possibility to recover combustible materials from both municipal and industrial waste streams with high calorific value through Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF). RDF can be utilized as substitute fuels in cement and other industries that could, in turn, reduce energy consumption and the landfill space for waste disposal. However, relevant policies for use of RDF in Brazil are unclear due to the lack of systematic socioeconomic assessment concerning cost, benefit, and risk aspects. This paper is aimed to present a system dynamics modeling analysis to estimate the availability of potential recyclable waste streams from municipal and industrial sectors for RDF production in Brazil and discuss possible policy interventions. The model was simulated based on a 20-year timeframe in accordance with possible waste management policies in Espírito Santo (a Brazilian state). The results provide the annual waste availability from four different routes with respect to the pessimistic, intermediate, and optimistic scenarios considered. With the partial implementation of the actions indicated in the proposed solid waste management policy, it is envisioned that there will be sufficient waste streams for RDF production under dynamic uncertainties, given the limited cost-benefit-risk trade-off assessment. In addition to the direct benefits of sustainable RDF production as a substitute for fossil fuels in the cement industry, the indirect environmental benefits are salient as the regulations for circular economy can be functional in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]